The ABC's - All 'Bout Christopher

Greetings!  Once again, I've been derelict in my blogging duties, with my last post being in April, 2011 about three of my sweet grandkids when I visited them in New Mexico.  Oh, how I love to re-read my blogging posts, and savor the wonderful memories, but boy, I have such a tough time doing the actual blogging!

I have been thinking about this "ABC" blog for ages because I wanted to honor Christopher (and yes, it took all summer to work up the required energy!).  It has been a big year for him, so this All 'Bout Christopher blog seemed perfect.

First off, as any sentimental Mom would want to do, I have to say, how did my baby turn 18 and graduate this year? Where did the time go?   Here's the oldest picture I could retrieve easily (since it's framed in my office) without going through thousands of pictures in the totes in my office closet.  Look at this sweet baby!

  4th Birthday - 1998

This picture was taken in St. George in March, 1998 on Christopher's fourth birthday, only six months after he came to our family.  He was wearing the special birthday visor made by his pre-school teachers (he was so proud of it!), new three piece sweat suit for his birthday and his new watch that matched.  He was always so adorable, sitting at our bar where he was getting ready to eat his favorite for his birthday dinner . . .  mac and cheese, of course!  He usually asked me to add colored marshmellows to it like I did the day he came to live with us!  Such fun memories.

It seems like just yesterday when he was a cute faced kindergartener sitting in a big chair reading to his classmates while they were gathered on the floor in a semi-circle below him. I have a picture of this sweet scene but it's too hard to find since it was before I went digital so you will have to imagine it in your mind . . .  

Okay, enough for the past.  Can't you just hear him saying, "Thank heavens!" This past year marked many milestones for him:

 

March, 2012:  Christopher's 18th Birthday: 

The long awaited 18th birthday arrived, and what a special treat it was for Christopher to be able to celebrate this birthday 2 days early with his Papa!  I had flown to Washington State to help Dad drive to Texas where he had decided to relocate, so we stopped in Riverside on the way so we could be with Christopher for his birthday and have a few days rest.  There's a great Greek restaurant nearby and we brought in yummy Greek food to celebrate!

 

And here's the birthday boy:

 

April, 2012 - Senior Prom:

The following month was his senior Prom, which was the first school sponsored dance he attended during his high school years.  He and his girlfriend of one year, Hailey, eagerly anticipated and planned for his prom for months.  Well, to be fair, I should say she planned and they both anticipated.  I, of course, couldn't wait to take the pictures.  Because he hadn't had a high school graduation picture taken, which is a long story best left unexplained, one of my goals was to capture the perfect photo of him in his tux that we could always look back to and use as his senior photo.   And here it is . . .  Isn't he the cutest?  (P.S.  What a nice memory as his Mom to take his senior picture).

 

Christopher's Senior Picture

 

Then we took a bunch of pictures right outside my apartment. Aren't they the cutest couple?  And so perfectly color coordinated!    Of course, that was Hailey's doing!  : )

 

 

 Had to get a picture with this beautiful door as the background.

 

 

And then, off we went.  There is the most beautiful place close to where I live called Riverwalk. It has a mile of meandering streams, ponds and a gazebo area with a waterfall and lots of trees.  I love to walk there and look at birds and take pictures.  So off we went to photograph Christopher and Hailey.  I had just started taking professional pictures there a few months earlier so had already scoped out some of the best spots.  As a matter of fact, after I shot Hailey and Christopher, I had another family waiting!  Crazy but very rewarding and fun day!

 

Pictures were over and it was time for them to head off to meet 18 friends in a party bus to go to the Monte Carlo themed Senior Prom.  They had a great time.

 

May, 2012 - High School Graduation:

The following month was his long anticipated high school graduation on 5/31/2012.  His senior year marked his third and final year at John F. Kennedy Middle College High School in Norco, only about 5 miles from us. While it's the largest middle college high school in the US, it's also very small and intimate with only 750 students and a graduating class of about 250 students. It's unique in that he had to apply and be accepted plus the HS is on the campus of Riverside Community College (RCC) and the electives consist only of college classes.

 

The students go back and forth between HS and college classes all day. Kids roam the campus freely because they are trusted and respected, very different than the 3,800 student HS he came from with security guards and detention if you are ever caught out of class. All the kids get to know each other and have a much more enjoyable HS experience. Unfortunately, California had a budget crisis when he entered HS and many college classes were eliminated. Prior to the funding crisis, he should've been able to complete his AA degree during his HS years, but we are very thankful that he graduated with 20 college credits and with honors also! 

 

Graduation day has finally arrived.  Here he is walking up to his seat with his small graduating class.

 

It was a very hot Southern California day - at least in the mid 90's.  I packed lots of icy water and everyone clamored for a place in the shade (except for those crazy people in the sun in the picture!)  But it had to have been pretty warm for the fully dressed graduates under those hot gowns! 

His graduation was held at nearby Norco High School since JFK doesn't have a football field. 

 

 

It was finally his turn to be called up to get his diploma.  Hold on to that cap!  Don't you remember worrying about it slipping and falling off your head?  I still do 30+ years later!
 

It was so nice because the students got special recognition for their accomplishments as each of their names were read.  As Christopher was walking up, the announcer said, (drum roll, please . . .)

"Christopher Thorpe Clemmer,

Graduating With Honors,

20 College Credits Completed,

Continuing on at Riverside Community College."

 

It was over so quickly.  Following are some pictures of our new graduate. Isn't he the cutest? And smartest, also!  Please note his signature red tie which has always been his favorite and the candy lei.  I wanted to buy him a flower lei but he was so practical and didn't want it, so he got this one candy lei instead.



And we couldn't miss the pictures with the proud parents (who are also a tad bit short, wouldn't you say, compared to our six foot tall son?)

 

Then, it was off to PF Chang's, Christopher's favorite restaurant, for his favorite dinner of lemon scallops.  Christopher is wearing his new white shirt which was monogrammed with his "CTC" initials.  This shirt was an 18th birthday gift from a very special man, Jim Chambers, who is our Home Teacher from church who watches over us and comes to visit at least once each month.  He has always worn monogrammed shirts and wanted Christopher to have one to start his adult life.  What a great place to wear it,  at his high school graduation! (And what an amazing coincidence  that
Christopher had his arm raised in such a great pose so we could see the monogram!!)

Of course, Hailey was with us enjoying the yummy food and festivities.

 

And afterwards, we had to have frozen yogurt for dessert to end a hot and fun summer day.  Yum.

 

The day after graduation, it was back to JFK for his final time to turn in his cap and gown set. And, of course, it was a perfect opportunity for a picture with his diploma with his great school as a backdrop. : )

 

One last very fun and important addition to Christopher's life . . .       He was also adopted last year by a sweet puppy who showed up at his house.  After posting signs around the neighborhood, and holding his breath that no one would respond, he named her "Cookie".  She quickly found a way into his heart. 

She is a miniature pinscher and chihuahua mix with a ton of energy who wriggles with delight whenever he is around,

and who always wants to be picked up and snuggled. 

And, guess what? She always gets her wish!

Cookie loves her Uncle Champ and had a blast celebrating his fourth birthday with him at his favorite park in April.  They love to run and play together and even smell the same smells wafting about:

But the best part was helping him open his gifts and figure out his new puzzle with treats hidden underneath the movable slots.  Her long snout gave her a decided edge.
 

Any more treats, toys or fun?

 

So, what is in Christopher's future?  He has been working part-time for the past 18 months for a medical billing office doing various clerical tasks.  He started college at RCC two weeks ago and currently is taking 15 general education units.  At this point, he wants to transfer to California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, more commonly known as Cal Poly Pomona, which is about 45 minutes away, into their well acclaimed engineering program.  He plans to be an electrical engineer. 

 

I'm so proud of the decisions he has made thus far in his life to graduate from high school with honors and to continue on to college towards an engineering degree.  He has a wonderful future ahead of him and I love him dearly.
   

GREAT JOB,
 

CHRISTOPHER!  : )

2010 Brings Many Changes

Well, one thing we all know for certain is that life is constantly changing in many ways.  There are always many new challenges, opportunities and paths for each of us.

After 24 plus years of marriage, Chris and I decided to part ways and are getting divorced. It has been a hard decision and one that wasn't entered into without a lot of contemplation and prayer. We remain very friendly, talk often and are committed to jointly raising our kids. Cory, age 17, and Christopher, age 16, have stayed with Chris in our nice Corona home where have lived for 11 years.  With such a big change, I wanted them to have consistency with their home, bedrooms, school, friends, big yard and outdoor Golden Retriever puppies. Plus it is always good for teenage boys to be with their Dad. 

I moved on January 4th, 2010, about 10 minutes east of our Corona home to a great newer apartment community in Riverside.  More on this in a future blog.  I hired a professional moving service for the large items and furniture and had great support from my church friends with transporting the smaller items.

Chris and I are both still unemployed and while this has been tough, it wasn't a factor in our divorce. The economy is still pretty bad here in Southern California. Hopefully early 2010 will find us both with new jobs.

Why Did I Go To Radford, Virginia?

Once upon a time there was a most excellent Mom and Dad named Jaime and Jack.  They had three sons named Finnegan (left), who is 11 and in the 6th grade, Grayson (middle), who is 6 and in the 1st grade and Sawyer (right), who is 3 and attends preschool 3 mornings per week.  This is their recent family photo taken in October at a local railroad.  Aren't they a very nice looking family?     : )

Jaime, Jack and the boys live in a charming, small rural town in

by the name of

On Sunday, October 25, 2009, Jaime and her family went to their local Radford Ward where Jack is their Bishop. 

Jaime wasn't feeling well so she stood up to leave her Relief Society meeting, and fainted.  Thankfully she did not know at that time what was happening.  And, I cannot get the image out of my mind of the horror Jack must have experienced as he quickly heard that someone had collapsed, and then discovered it was his own wife.  Jaime was rushed to the local hospital via ambulance but had lost a lot of blood due to the internal bleeding which caused her to faint.   In Jaime's own words as posted on their blog, called "My Three Son's", she said,

 "Jack and I had been trying to get pregnant for 7 months. I was finally pregnant, went in to the doctor at 10 weeks and found out I was having a miscarriage. At what I thought was near the end of the miscarriage my fallopian tube exploded because it turned out I had an ectopic pregnancy. I fainted due to the internal bleeding from my tube rupturing. I am skipping the remainder of the gory details of what it entailed with the exception of:  lots of internal bleeding, fatally low blood pressure, possible organ failure, a touch and go night, Jack sleeping on a couch in the ICU waiting room, and a chain of international phone calls for blessings to heaven to plead for my life. Heavenly Father heard your prayers, sent amazing doctors and nurses my way, and now I am here to dictate this post to you."

Here is a picture of Jaime four days after she was admitted into the hospital.  There were way too many hours on that Sunday night during and after her emergency surgery and into Monday when we were all very scared and worried for her.  She may have been bruised and in pain, but the most important thing is that she is A-L-I-V-E.

Because she had lost so much blood, they weren't able to find a vein and her poor arms were so sore.

So, after the trauma of emergency surgery and being in the hospital for a week, she was finally able to be driven up her wonderful rural street in Radford, Virginia

and return H O M E. 

Anyone who has been in the hospital for even a day knows how wonderful it is released, to get out of the hospital, with the not so comfortable hospital bed, noise, constant poking and prodding, and return to your own wonderful home and bed.  Their home is the first white house you see with the stairs.

Brittany, Jaime's younger sister and her two kids made the 6 hour drive down from Ohio for the first week Jaime was home from the hospital to take care of her and the kids since Jack needed to return to his job as Principal of the new elementary school in town (where Finn attends). Here is a picture of Brittany with Maya, age 3 and Jasper, age 18 months.  They are adorable as well!    : )

But Jaime needed help after Brittany left, and I was so willing and happy to provide this assistance, so this

namely, me, booked a flight to Virginia to help Jaime for the next two weeks after the

that Jaime and her family had experienced. 

While I wasn't happy at the chain of events that caused my sudden trip , I was

to be able to care for Jaime and my grandkids and help Jack during this time.

So, Grandma Nita boarded a plane in Ontario, California
to fly to Virginia.

But, since Jaime lives in a very rural town in Virginia, I flew into Charlotte, North Carolina on Saturday, 11/7/09, and Brittany picked me up.  It was a 2.5 hour drive to Jaime's home in Virginia which passed quickly as Brittany and I had many things to talk about after having not seen each other for one year.

This post was all about my reason for going to Virginia.  See my next post for the fun details about my trip and time with Jaime, Jack, Brittany and my five adorable grandkids.   I have tons of pictures and fun experiences I can't wait to share!   : )

Mom & Dad's Crazy 2009 - Multiple Moves, Health Issues, CA Farewell Party, Final Move to New Home in WA State

Before you read this blog, please realize that I know now that the blog post is complete that it is way too long  (heavy sigh).  You know me.  Once I start talking, it's hard to stop!  HA!  I should have made this into several smaller posts, but as I was writing, it was all part of the story I was trying to tell.  And now that I'm finally done, I don't want to go through the work to change it into several smaller blogs and I don't think it would flow as well anyway.  But I still think and hope that the few people interested in our story would've read through each post to see what happened next so it may not have mattered anyway if it was one post or four smaller ones.  Hope that makes sense!  Thanks for reading.

2009 has been a crazy year for my parents (and Barbara, me and our families as well), but luckily things have worked out well for Mom and Dad as you will see by the end of this blog post.  Here's a recap of their difficult and event filled year:

FEBRUARY, 2009:  Mom and Dad moved from their mobile home of 12 years on the Vista/Oceanside border

Taken as they were leaving their mobile home

into a really nice assisted living facility named Brookdale

of San Marcos (about 15 minutes from their old home). 

Official family picture as we walked through the door

of their new Brookdale apartment for the first time

The nameplate to the right of their apartment door

Moving them involved donating or selling about 2/3 of their stuff, and then packing, moving and unpacking the other 1/3 to their new one-bedroom, one-bath deluxe apartment with an extra-large closet Dad customized as a computer room.  Barbara and I did all of this packing, selling and moving (along with a lot of moving help from Chris, Cory and Christopher) as well as all the paperwork and associated moving stuff in just 28 short days (and we lived through it, too!)  Our hope had been that they would enjoy the active senior lifestyle at Brookdale with all the many amenities available for many years to come.

Cory, Dad, Christopher and Mom on move-in day

This is our celebration dinner in their fancy new 

dining room on the night we moved them in. 

Boy were we all exhausted!

MAY, 2009:  They were just starting to feel a little settled when Mom fell in her bedroom on May 14th and scraped all the skin off her hand.  Luckily we opted to forego the skin grafting procedure that was recommended.  Two weeks later, on May 26th, Mom fell again.  This time she was in the bathroom getting ready for bed when she lost her balance and broke the C2 vertebrae in her neck.   A broken neck . . .  not a good thing.

MAY - OCTOBER, 2009:  Mom was in a rehabilitation center next door to Brookdale so that Dad could walk over easily each day to see her.  We also hired Pam, a wonderful aide, advocate and friend, to help care for her when Barbara and I couldn't be there.  This was a very tough time as Mom got pneumonia, had two pulmonary embolisms and got a very serious necrosis because the brace used for her broken neck rubbed away all the skin on the back of her head down to the skull bone.  It was very painful for Mom, to say the least.  Dad was also in the hospital for a few days due to some heart rhythm issues but thankfully he is fine now.  So for a few days both of them were in different hospitals at the same time; Barbara and I took turns going from one place to another!  Whew!  Glad that's over!

OCTOBER, 2009:  Because Mom's doctor informed us she would require 24-hour care the rest of her life, Barbara and I started looking into group homes where there was a live-in nurse and caregiver that could give Mom the extra care and assistance she needed.  Barbara found a great place in Bellingham, Washington, only 8 miles from her home, called Alabama Hill Adult Family Home.  But it wasn't safe for Mom to fly to Washington State, as she still had her pulmonary embolism.   Barbara and Sergei rented a motor home in Washington and made the two day drive down to San Marcos to pick us all up.  Wasn't that a great idea?  (good thinking, Sergei!)

I had been packing their personal items to take in the motor home to their new home.  Now, however, they were seriously downsizing, with only one bedroom to share.  I was also really busy handling the medical items and paperwork so Mom could be released while Barbara worked on handling things with their new home.  Because of insurance issues, and Mom and Dad's desire to be together as quickly as possible after 4+ months apart, we moved them to WA 7-9 days from the date the moving location/decision was made until the actual day we stepped into the motor home.  Once again things were so crazy and busy.  But, we Thorpe sisters JUMP when needed, and boy, was it necessary!  After all, they had been married 59 years and didn't want to be apart any longer.

OCTOBER 9, 2009:   We had a going-away party for Mom and Dad at Brookdale the night before we left for Washington.  We only invited a few family and close friends because everything happened so quickly.  Here are a few pictures from their going-away bash:

Mom and Dad on their last night in California, after having lived here since 1965, over 44 years

A look at the long table with some of the 20 guests or so

Marianne and Larry, Mom's niece and nephew

Dad and his best friend and golfing budding of 20+ years,
John Fontanesi

Mom and Dad and their good friends,
the Fontanesi's, John and Mary Ann

Mom and her close friend of 25 years or so, Flo Catley

Mom and Pam, her loving caregiver, saying goodbye

Mom and her 15 year-old grandson, Christopher,
just prior to saying goodbye

The Thorpe Family leaving the Brookdale dining room after the farewell party

Chris and Christopher helped Barbara and Sergei load the few things Mom and Dad could take to Washington into the motor home after the party so we could start out early for WA State the next morning.  And I took Mom back to Village Square, signed all discharge forms, gathered all medicine and packed her clothes.  Finally, it was her last night before moving to her new WA home and being together with Dad.

Back in her room at Village Square for her last night there - Yeah!

OCTOBER 10-11, 2009: Barbara, Sergei, Mom, Dad, Nita and 3 puppies (Chi, Mischa and Champ) headed out on our 1,350 mile trip at 7:30 am.  The motor home was very nice and comfortable and had all the conveniences but was a little loud and bumpy.  We all enjoyed the beautiful countryside and stopped at many fantastic rest stops along the way (that included gorgeous trees, my favorite).

Our Cruise America motor home

I was responsible for Mom, making sure she was comfortable, giving her her medicine, administering her breathing treatments 4 times per day, helping her to the bathroom, eating, etc. 

There was a nice big queen bed in the back of the motor home in which Mom and Dad napped or slept.  And Dad also enjoyed a few nice naps on a large couch.

We had a very nice and quick trip to Washington as Barbara and Sergei drove almost nonstop.  They were real troopers after having driven down from WA just a few days earlier.  I felt bad that I couldn't help drive but I wasn't able to find a Cruise America place and present myself in person with my driver's license, and therefore couldn't drive.  I had gone to one location that was listed online on the way to their farewell party but the location had moved, and then it was too late to find another one. We only stopped for food, gas, rest stops and for a few hours sleep on that Saturday night.

And this blog would not be complete without a picture of our three faithful and well travelled puppies.  While their eyes look a little funky with the flash, the picture was so cute I couldn't resist.  At top is Champ, Nita's brownish red Shih-Tzu puppy.  Barbara and Sergei's Havanese puppies are below:  Chi is white and gray on the left and his son, Mischa is black and white and on the right.  And, if anyone is interested, I have dozens of pictures of them individually during our trip!  Just email me!   : )

Finally, on Sunday night, October 11, 2009, we arrived in Bellingham, Washington at 8:30 pm.  Mom and Dad's new caregivers, Claudia and Tony, are a married couple that moved to the US several years ago from Romania.  They were instantly very warm and gracious, giving Mom a bouquet of flowers and Dad a "Welcome Home" balloon.  They have been very loving and attentive and have gone the extra mile to be sure Mom and Dad are comfortable and happy in their new home.  Here are some pictures from the first minute we arrived at their new home.

Claudia and Tony giving Mom and Dad their welcome gifts
in their new bedroom

This picture is in the large sitting/TV room with a big screen TV.  Beyond you can see the dining room which is across from the large kitchen area and at the far end is another large sun-filled sitting and game room.

Tony showing Mom the bathroom area

Meanwhile, back in San Marcos was their which was still filled with the remainder of their "stuff".  My good and loyal friend, Barb K, whom we had adopted into our Thorpe family years ago, and I worked like busy little beavers for two weekends.  We needed to have everything packed and gone by their move-out date of October 31st.

We packed up the remaining things they wanted in Washington that wouldn't fit in the motor home and loaded them into Dad's Nissan Altima which was then transported to WA. 

Still room for lots more stuff!  HA!

All packed and ready to go.  Hallelujah!!!

Luckily, I have a lot of my Aunt Jayne qualities, and for that I am very thankful.  She was Dad's younger sister who had the uncanny ability to fit so much in a very little space.  I used to be amazed when I visited her during the summer in Texas to see her fit yet more food into a very crammed refrigerator or cupboards that I swore wouldn't fit even one more little item.  I was so happy and proud that I was able to pack the rest of the stuff Mom and Dad wanted into their very small car, and I guarantee you I used every available nook and cranny, from floor to ceiling!

We also donated about 20 huge garbage bags to Goodwill and threw away 3-4 of these large rolling carts full of their other "stuff". 

These laundry carts were loaned to us by Brookdale so we didn't

have to make so many trips to the dumpster.  Thank heavens! 

We had a LOT of garbage and it was a very long walk!

Here's a picture of Barb K sitting down and relaxing after we had completed packing everything at Brookdale, as well as signing forms and having an inspection of Mom and Dad's apartment.  Barb K was really a trooper through a very long process of sweat, exhaustion and tears.  It would have been hard to face alone.  She helped me get through it all as quickly and easily as possible.  After all, she is a minimalist, and helped me to throw away or donate much more than I would have done without her!  : )

Picture taken on 10/31/09 at about 6 pm after a very long day

(which included driving 90 miles each way). 

Our deadline to have the apartment empty
and to be checked out was 10/31/09!

 But, alas, I now have the remaining furniture and other items in my garage to sell on Craig's List. As I just returned from Virginia, I haven't had time yet to sell these things.  But that is coming soon, as we can barely walk in our 3 car garage.  And believe me, it would really scare you to see a picture of my very crowded garage, so I think I'll omit it!

Mom and Dad have now been in WA for about 6 weeks and are loving it. Barbara and Sergei live very close and visit most everyday. Dad has a new laptop computer, their car arrived with all of their stuff, and they just had a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner yesterday to which Barbara, Sergei and Sergei's Mom were also invited. I miss them A LOT, as this was our first Thanksgiving apart in heaven knows how many years, but know they are in a great place and are happy there.

But here is the best news, the most important thing that transpired after a very difficult year.  Mom and Dad are at a wonderful new home in which they have everything they could ever need:  3 home-cooked meals per day, all laundry service and linen service, cleaning, medication management, entertainment and every personal or medical service Mom or Dad will ever need.  Hallelujah.

And best yet, they are together again after being separated for over four months.

This is a picture of them at the entrance to their bedroom

a few days after they moved into their new home.

Aren't they the cutest married couple

of 59+ years that you know?

We all love you, Mom and Dad!  You are the best.